SeeingFingers
by SorainaSkye
Summary: Yuffie/Vincent- She always saw him from the window, playing piano. She meets him, and a white lie begins to blow out of control, having consequences she couldn't have imagined. And with a series of murders nearby, can she and her friends make it through?
1. Words Unspoken

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Okay, for those that have seen my profile, I've had this story in the works for a little while, and it likely won't be more than ten chapters (and that's even a high guess.) counting an epilouge. I got the idea from the last chapter in the manga Love Letters, called: A Mailman's love. It's my first Yuffie/Vincent, so constructive critisisum is welcomed. But don't worry, I couldn't resist my usual Cloud/Aerith either. ) So there will be plenty of both...

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Final Fantasy, or the manga 'Love Letters'.

Enjoy! (Oh, and reviews will be replied to either in private on on the next chapter.) Suggestions welcome.

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SeeingFingers

Chapter One

Words Unspoken

Yuffie Kisagari knew a few things about herself.

One was that she was an expert ninja. Though her job required little 'sleuthing' on her part, she always kept her weapon ready, and Materia equipped just in case. She came from a long line of fighters, and even if for the moment she was not defending her country, she still wanted to keep them proud, especially the spirit of her mother.

Two was that any sort of Materia should rightly belong to her. Who else could appreciate their power? Who else could use them with such reverence? Who else could see them for their...shininess...

Ahem. Anyway...

Three, was that though her job was not what she had originally wanted, it had its perks.

"Nuyk, Nuyk, Nuyk," she whispered deviously, clutching the shining, glorious balls of Materia that was paid to her rather than money.

Being a Princess sort of paid for itself, anyway.

Not that the Materia was the only perk of course. It was just part of the deal. A BIG part, but only a part nonetheless.

A beautiful young woman kneeled in the dirt of her garden. Her golden chestnut hair was piled atop her head, bright green eyes shaded by her hand as she waved and smiled at Yuffie as she passed by.

"See you next time Yuffie," she called out cheerfully. "I can give you your birthday present then- sorry it's so late!"

"It's fine Aerith," Yuffie called back, waving. "Make up for it with EXTRA Materia!"

Aerith was one of the people that had become what Yuffie would call a friend. Though she wasn't usually into the cheerful, helpful, gardening type, Aerith had an effect on her. Aerith had an effect on everyone- you couldn't help but like her. She, and another girl Yuffie had come to call 'friend' also reminded her a bit of her dead mother. Yuffie fought back a sigh at the slight memories of a tinkling laugh and sweet smells that came from thoughts about her mother. She pushed them back, making her way to Tifa Lockhart's house, just next door to Aerith.

Tifa was a beautiful woman, with long black hair, and ruddy red-brown eyes. Mothering and kind, she was often misperceived as being weak. But she had studied martial arts since the age of ten, and would annihilate anyone that messed with her, or her friends. Most of the time she worked at the bar she owned, titled Seventh Heaven. But on rare occasions, or late nights, she was at her house, and always invited Yuffie to stay if she needed. Today was one of her absent days.

Yuffie reached deftly into the mailbox, a laugh of triumph escaping her lips as she felt her hands close not only around envelopes, but also around the shiny, wonderful, Materia balls that Tifa left for her on pay days.

Though Yuffie knew neither Aerith nor Tifa would deceive her and not pay, it still filled her with a sort of immeasurable excitement each time she got some.

But even with those perks, that wasn't to say that there weren't any downsides to her job.

"You are freaking CRAZY!" Yuffie yelled as she ran down the sidewalk, clutching her bag of mail, trying to not let the contents spill over. A small rocket exploded at her feet and she ran faster.

"&(# right I'm crazy!" The blonde, middle-aged, man called after her, cigarette hanging out of his mouth. In his hand was a rocket launcher. "Like I'm going to (# PAY you after that F stunt you pulled!"

"It was a JOKE! Can't you take a JOKE!?"

"That was my PERSONAL tea! You don't joke about F& TEA!" He shouted, face red with anger as he fired another rocket.

Luckily, Yuffie was out of reach. She skidded to a stop, panting and muttering under her breath about crazy old men that smoked too much. It was just TEA after all. How could she have known that it would catch fire like that...I mean, who'd a thought that tea was a flammable object? Obviously, there was no way that Yuffie could be blamed for the honest mistake.

Crazy Cid wasn't the only adverse part of delivering mail.

There was the equally nuts Barret, a man that had an actual GUN for an arm. And he wasn't shy about firing it either. It was thanks to him that Yuffie always had to buy new mailbags. Surprisingly, he had an adorable daughter named Marlene. She was really the only one that could calm him down- though most of the time she was at the 'flower-lady's' house, gardening with Aerith. So Yuffie suffered alone.

Hey, it was a rough job, but SOMEONE had to do it. And leviathan knew how much more Yuffie would rather deliver mail than sit on a throne, being bossed around by her father and his council.

There were also many aspects of her job that could only be described as 'weird' as well.

For example, there was a small house that never had any car in front, never had any people in the window, and yet, whenever Yuffie would deliver mail, a strange fire cat/dog thing would come out of the house, take the mail in it's mouth, and push a pouch of materia toward her. Then it would growl softly (seemingly in thanks) and it would turn around and walk back into the house, tail flickering. Yuffie had her suspicions about the creature, but all she really could do was wonder how he signed a check.

Then there was Reeve, a man perfectly able to walk down his sidewalk and get his mail, but delighted instead in sending a robotic cat that rode on a moogle and carried a megaphone out instead. The thing could even TALK! And he was always trying to read her fortune. But Yuffie dealt with this, deciding that Reeve must be one of those men that had nothing better to do than play with technology in their parent's basements.

There was also the silver-haired man named Sephiroth, who gave off a distinct air of creepiness. He actually carried a long samurai sword around with him! And whenever there was a strange disappearance, everyone seemed to suspect him, though no hand of his was ever found in any crime. He also seemed to have a 'mother' complex, and an eerie hate/love toward Aerith that bordered on obsession. Yuffie tried to avoid any contact with him.

After that there was Cloud, a rather good-looking guy with hair that seemed to defy gravity itself. He never received any letters, but he always sent one out- one that he did not put a return address on, and had threatened Yuffie under pain of death (With a freaking HUGE sword Yuffie was sure it wasn't legal to own) if she ever told the recipient who they were from. Yuffie had a feeling that Aerith knew anyway though. And Tifa was getting over it, so she delivered the letters with the threat in mind.

And then there was the Turks- four people that were apparently related to each other (though one of them was black) and always wore suits, ties, and carried guns and clubs. They spent most of their time arguing, though every once in a while the red-haired one would go and get drunk at Tifa's bar and would then be fairly sociable.

And then there was the last house on Yuffie's route.

It was an old mansion- red bricks worn down and dirty, windows rusting and gate creaking, the mahogany door peeling, and the brass knocker dull and unused. Vines crisscrossed their way down the walls as thick smoke unfurled from the chimney. But there was a large window on the first floor, one that nearly filled the whole wall, through which Yuffie always saw two people. She would have to get close, so thick was the trees and unkempt vegetation, but whenever she delivered mail she saw two people in the window. One was a woman, with long golden-brown hair that was always up in a ponytail, sitting demurely in a chair with her head cocked slightly to the side as she listened to something Yuffie couldn't hear. The other was a man with hair blacker than the darkest midnight, and pale skin that looked as though it had never seen sunlight. He always sat behind a piano, fingers moving over the keys with a precision that comes from knowing something as well as you know yourself.

Yuffie found herself straining to listen, for any hint of the melody she knew to be playing. But she heard nothing, and a part of her went home unsatisfied. She couldn't understand why it mattered to her so –it's just a stupid instrument –she told herself. But the feeling would not cease.

Today she pushed the thought from her mind as she made her way down the now familiar road to the mansion.

Lately the woman had not been in the window.

And the man had merely sat at the piano, unmoving.

This day was no different- he was there, she was not. Yuffie looked down at the letter in her hand and sighed, curling her fingers around the crisp envelope. She knew that she was far too close, and if the man were to turn his head, he would see her clearly, but she just kept staring at the letter in her hand. She turned, after an immeasurable amount of time, to put the letter in the mailbox.

But despite her innate ninja skills, her foot caught on a tree root, and she was sent tumbling forward, crashing into broken bottles that littered the ground.

"Oof!" Her stomach hit the ground. Slowly she picked herself up, freezing as she heard the window be thrown open- a deep voice calling out –"Who's there?"

Yuffie quickly brought herself to her knees, head snapping up, staring at the man that stood at the window, one hand holding the shutter open, the other clenched upon the sill.

His skin was paler than she had imagined, and his eyes were a piercing crimson, that even at the distance shocked her. The eyes flickered about, seeming to pass right over her. "Who is there?" He called out again.

Yuffie stood up. _'Can he not see...?'_ She cleared her throat. "Uh, just your mailperson here." Anxious, she shifted her weight from foot to foot. This however, seemed to tell him where she was, his head snapping toward her. "Who is there?" he repeated threateningly. Yuffie gaped at him for a moment.

_He's blind..._

Quickly, she found her voice. "Um, Yuffie Kisagari, your mail...person." She coughed as comprehension dawned on his face. "Uhh, you have a letter."

He inhaled sharply. Though his voice did not change, Yuffie sensed something more urgent about his tone when he spoke. "What...is the return address...?"

"Umm..." Yuffie fumbled with the envelope. She read the address aloud. The man seemed to change again, though she could not sense how she knew this- for there was no apparent change in his demeanor.

The man twiddled his fingers on the windowsill. "Would you..." he paused. Yuffie realized that he was nervous.

"What? Do you want me to read it to you?"

The man looked away (not that it made any difference) and Yuffie took that as consent. She gaped for a minute, before remembering that he couldn't see. "Uh, I don't think that's such a- well..." She gulped. A part of her was infernally curious as to what lay inside his house, and wanted to know more about him. But another part of her was throwing alarm signals. WHO did this guy think he WAS anyway? He could be a murderer, or a rapist for all she knew!

But something about this man gave her pause. Maybe it was just because he was unlike anyone she had ever met, or maybe it was because there was the chance that he had some REALLY cool Materia...but for some reason, Yuffie found the word "okay" slipping out of her mouth.

The man disappeared from the window for a moment. He reappeared at the now open door, holding the frame lightly as Yuffie came forward. She took a deep breath. _Come on,_ she told herself. _Yuffie Kisagari isn't lead anywhere! Yuffie Kisagari charges forward!_

And she did just that. She blew past him, tripping slightly up the front steps, running into his house. She skidded to a stop in the hallway. She looked around, muttering to herself, "Not even slightly creepy. Darn..." _Dunno why, but I was half expecting a coffin..._

The house was spacious and polished, the hardwood floors gleaming. Stairs that spiraled up to the second floor were before her, and a doorway to her left led to a sitting room, where she could see a table, while the doorway on her right led to the piano room.

"So, where ya wanna do this thing?" Yuffie put a hand on her hip, forgetting that the gesture was lost on the blind man. Wordlessly, he walked through the doorway on the left, to the table in the sitting room.

Once they were seated at the black table, Yuffie nervously began to tear open the letter.

She cleared her throat, opening her mouth as she spread the letter before her. She froze, the words catching her eye. Elegant script was dotted along the top half of the page. It wasn't long, and it took Yuffie only a moment to read it.

_**Dear Vincent,**_

The letter began.

_**I am sorry. I will always love you, but professor Hojo and I are working together on a project, and, well, it just wouldn't work. He really is a fine man, very intelligent. I'm not coming back. I can't, and I don't want to. I'm going to start a new life here- there's so much I can do. I'm sorry. I hope you can find someone to read this to you. Someday, perhaps I will venture to that town again. And when you see me, you'll know that I am very happy. I want to do everything that I can, and I can't do that if I have to take care of you. Perhaps it is unkind, but know also that I am doing you a justice. I never would have stayed, and I am sorry to hurt you this way. I will remember you fondly, always.**_

_**Be happy, Vincent.**_

_**-Lucretia Crescent**_

Yuffie felt her throat close upon itself. Her mouth opened and closed, but no sound came out. She tried swallowing, and almost choked.

The man - Vincent - cocked his head to the side expectantly.

Words poured from her mouth of her own accord.

"Dear Vincent," she said, surprised that her throat was working with this train of thought. "How are you? I am well, and settled in. I hope to start working soon, and I am very excited. I think of you often. I think of your voice and smile and the way you smell. I think of your house. Mostly I think of you playing the piano, and it makes me happy. I cannot wait to visit so that I can hear you play again. Love, Lucretia." Yuffie looked up from the letter, staring at Vincent's slightly shocked expression.

He blinked a few times, and shook his head. He licked his lips nervously. Slowly, he held his hand out. "May I...?"

"Uhh, sure," Yuffie pushed the letter into his waiting fingers.

He grasped it, pulling his hand back and moving his fingers over the corners of the paper- not caressing it, but moving so gently, as though afraid it would shatter. He held it like a sacred treasure. He closed his eyes, seeming to be content, running his fingers along the smooth writing.

Yuffie knew in his mind that he was seeing, seeing with his fingers.

And she wondered, as the man opened his eyes and showed her to the door with a thank you, if he would eventually see the falsehood she had created with those same fingers...

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There ya go! Hope you liked, next chapter is mapped out in my head, so enjoy!

Oh, and for people that are C/A and Y/V fans, check out my fic Prisoners of Time and Space, or my C/A one-shots. Also, check out my newest one-shot focusing on Tifa, called Inevitable.

That's it, reviews make me smile inside!

AerithHeartilly


	2. Preparation

Hello! Sorry for the suuuuper long delay. Hopefully I sort of make up for it with a longer chapter, and more characters! This is becoming more complicated than I thought, but I don't think it will be more than ten chapters at most still.

Sorry for those that don't like it, but there IS a bit of Cloud/Aerith in this chapter. Don't bash the pairing, or Aerith please. I don't tolerate character bashing. I don't like Cloud and Tifa together for example, but I do like Tifa. It's that simple.

Anyway, if there is someone out there that would like to be a beta for my FF stories, let me know so I can get connections with you. My typos are starting to become notorious. WARNING: That would have to mean that you would be willing to read Cloud/Aerith, Squall/Rinoa, ect.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Final Fantasy, or it's characters. I'm just an author looking for experience.

Enjoy!

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Chapter Two

Preparation

She couldn't believe that she was doing this.

She was a mail_person_...buying envelopes to write letters, that she would deliver.

It seemed..._wrong_...somehow.

Okay, not wrong exactly, but it was odd nonetheless. She had never bought envelopes before- anyone she desired to have a conversation with was within walking distance. She glanced down at the plastic white bag in her clenched hands and sighed.

She REALLY couldn't believe that she was doing this.

She was writing a letter pretending to be the love of a blind man! What was she thinking?! She was deliberately lying to him about a woman that wanted nothing more to do with him! WHY was she doing this?

She sighed impatiently. She had only around a day to think of a new letter, hardly enough time to think of 'why'.

Of course, she could just call it off- not deliver letters supposedly from the woman Lucretia, or tell the man the truth. It was what she SHOULD do, Yuffie knew that. She knew that if she continued to read fake letters to the man, it would only dig her down into a vicious cycle.

Yuffie turned the corner onto the street she lived on, opening her door wide enough to throw the envelopes in, before shutting and locking the door again. With a grunt of agitation, she rubbed her hands down her face. She knew that she wasn't going to stop now, not when she had already gotten herself into it; she couldn't. An idea struck her suddenly, her head flying up from her hands. Yuffie herself didn't know much about love- but she did know some that did...

With a smile of satisfaction, Yuffie quickly worked her way to the street that her friends lived on. Perhaps Aerith would give her some good ideas...

()()

The house was yellow, with a white trellis and porch beams. The yellow paint looked brand-new, but the stairs and porch were in a dire situation. The first stair creaked loud enough for the whole neighborhood to hear, and the third stair always broke when anyone that weighed more than eighty pounds stepped on it- no matter what anyone did to fix it. The gutter was rusted and rattled with the slightest breeze, while the windowpanes were tarnished and smudged.

Contrary to the actual house however- the yard was something to behold.

Yellow flowers and purple flowers, and blue flowers- any sort of flower of any color seemed to grow there. They were in no particular order, and yet there was a kind of beautifully simple symmetry to them- they seemed like the beautiful wildflowers that no human could grow just right. The grass was a vibrant green, and a small pond sat in the middle of the yard, encircled by a curtain of vibrant flowers. The house had been bought simply for the yard, and with a fairly low salary, the woman who owned it could not afford much in the way of home improvements. Not that she minded- not really. She had her flowers and her friends, and roof over her head- how could she be unhappy? No, the woman merely smiled- and threw a painting party to re-paint her house every few years.

A different woman stood on the porch of the beautiful and withered house, contemplating.

Yuffie raised her hand, and lowered it again. She sighed, staring at the slightly peeling green paint of Aerith's front door. Impatiently, Yuffie blew her hair out of her eyes.

_Come on,_ she told herself. _It's not like you haven't just barged in there before!_

Taking a deep breath, Yuffie raised her hand again, only to freeze in mid air. How in the world was she going to explain this to Aerith? Obviously the truth wasn't possible- what could she say? 'Hi Aerith, I was just wondering: How do you write love letters? Not that I'm writing any or anything!'

Riiiight. Even to Yuffie that sounded exceedingly stupid.

_COME ON!_ She internally willed herself again. _'Since when have you planned ahead? Just go for it!_

Yuffie cleared her throat, knocking shakily on the door in a jazzy rhythm. It was something anyone that knew Aerith did, to signify that they wanted to talk about important things. Somehow, Aerith always seemed to help- and was of course always willing to listen.

"Coming!" Aerith's voice called from within the house.

There was a pattering of light footsteps, and the door was throw open on a slightly started Yuffie, to reveal Aerith in a pink strap dress, a white apron, and flour on her nose. She grinned. "Hey Yuffie," She said, standing back to let her friend in the doorway. "I was wondering when you were going to come in. I was about to come out here and drag you in by your shorts." She giggled.

Yuffie gaped at her for a moment. "How did you-? GAWD, never mind..." She shook her head in slight disbelief. Aerith and Tifa would make good mothers someday- both had eyes not only on the back of their heads, but everywhere, it seemed.

The inside of Aerith's house was considerably better kept than the gutters, though the air conditioning didn't work and there was a big purple stain on the wall from when she had gotten into a food-coloring fight with Tifa, Yuffie, and Marlene. Flowers in their vases seemed to be on every table, and faded photographs of Aerith's now-dead parents sat on the mantle. A sweet smell drifted from the kitchen, a little voice calling- "Flower Lady, can I lick the spoon now?"

Aerith laughed as Yuffie casually threw her coat onto the sofa. "No Marlene," Aerith called back. "Not yet." With another giggle, she grabbed Yuffie's arm and dragged her into the kitchen.

Yuffie couldn't help but laugh at the sight of what had once been Aerith's kitchen. Flour was everywhere, on the walls and ceiling, the floor and the windows- and all over the small three-year-old girl that was kneeling on a wooden bench, looking like some strange, pasty ghost carrying a spoonful of scooped cookie dough. Disappointed at Aerith's response, Marlene put the spoon back into the plastic bowl that sat on the countertop. She smiled at Yuffie quite brightly despite this.

"We're making cookies!" She beamed, flour crinkling on her face as she smiled.

"I can see that." Yuffie said, laughing again.

Aerith put her hand over her mouth to try and muffle her giggles. "Care to join us?" She asked, after regaining control of herself.

Yuffie found the word 'Yes' escaping her lips before she could think about it. _Leviathan,_ she thought as an after note. _What is it with me and just blurting out 'yes' lately?_

The first few minutes passed with Marlene and Aerith talking animatedly. Finally, Aerith spoke to Yuffie, who at the time was turned away to search for another spoon in a drawer. She looked up when Aerith said her name, and received a flash of flour in her face. She blinked. Then a wicked smile curved her mouth. "Is that all you've got?" She asked, grinning evilly as Aerith and Marlene pretended to cower in terror.

It was then that the greatest flour-fight in history began.

It wasn't long, but all three of them were coated in flour by the time it was through. Laughing, Yuffie vainly wiped at the flour on her shirt. "We look like we're ready to haunt a bakery," she said, making Marlene and Aerith giggle.

Aerith shook her head. "If we don't get back to work these cookies will never get done."

"Why are you making them anyway?" Yuffie asked, grabbing her abandoned spoon to resume scooping the dough onto the pan.

"Oh, they're for Tifa." Aerith explained. "She's been working so many hours at the bar, I wanted to give her something- and Marlene suggested cookies." She smiled, laughing a little. "With Jessie taking so many hours for me at the flower shop, I found I had too much time on my hands. Though it's been nice, I really can't wait for my vacation to end so that I can get back to my job." She laughed again. "I think the only reason Jessie wanted me to take this vacation was so that she could make sure that she would run into a certain someone that she desperately wants a date with..." Aerith smiled again, turning back to the pan of chocolate-chip cookies. "I hope she gets it!"

A small ding from the oven told them that it was time to put in the first batch.

"It's amazing how you worked out the timing on that," Yuffie said, shaking her head in slight bemusement. The first batch was just now ready and on the pan. Aerith grinned. "Trade secret. Perhaps one day, young one, you too will know it."

Yuffie raised an eyebrow. "Tifa told you how, didn't she?"

"Yup." Aerith said blandly, fighting another grin with little success. She slipped on her checkered oven mitts, opened the oven, and slid the cookies inside, twisting the dial to the appropriate time.

"Oh!" Marlene's startled call got their attention. They turned to find her smiling sheepishly, a dough-coated spoon in one hand, the other holding the side of a plastic bowl. A flab of dough, freshly scraped from that bowl, was stuck on the ceiling. Determinedly keeping a straight face, Yuffie said. "Thank you for demonstrating the effects of Kinetic energy. Never knew you had that potential."

Marlene blinked while Aerith snickered, rolling her eyes. "Never thought I'd see the day where you said a science pun," She said, playfully shoving Yuffie before snagging a stool to stand on to scrape the dough off of her ceiling.

Yuffie shrugged. "My mouth has a mind of it's own, that more often than not, contradicts my brain."

"Too true." Aerith frowned as she scraped at the dough with her dull fingernails. "Could you hand me a spatula, please?" Yuffie tossed one to her.

"Thanks." She slipped the spatula under the dough and pushed. After a few minutes of useless pushing, grunting, and prying, Aerith huffed. "Why – won't – this – stupid – thing – come – off?!" Frustrated, she blew hair out of her eyes. "Care to try?" She asked Yuffie, stepping off the stool and handing her the spatula.

Yuffie was unsuccessful too, though Aerith commented that if Yuffie were able to shoot lasers from her eyes, the dough would have burned off by the look she was giving it.

The doorbell rang, distracting them. It was Barret, coming to collect Marlene.

"Don't worry," Aerith said, as Marlene looked devastatingly toward the oven. "I'll give Tifa the cookies tomorrow." Satisfied, Marlene gave each of them a hug, dragging her father out the door, sparing Yuffie from the continued presence of his muttered threats.

The two returned to the kitchen, contemplating the dire situation at hand.

"Maybe it's like that old legend about the sword in the Mako crystals," Aerith mused, staring at the dough, still resolutely stuck as ever. "You know, the only one that can remove it is the destined one..."

"And they'll what, rule over the kitchen?" Yuffie asked, rolling her eyes.

Aerith shrugged. "I was just kidding, but who knows? Magic works in subtle ways."

_So this is what, enchanted cookie dough? _Yuffie thought. Before she could voice her opinion out loud, there was a knock on the door. Aerith and Yuffie looked at each other. A grin was forming on Aerith's face. Yuffie narrowed her eyes. "No, freaking WAY," She muttered. _Coincidence...it has to be..._

With a slightly muffled giggle, Aerith went to answer the door, Yuffie following.

Aerith opened the door. Cloud stood there, blue eyes widening as he took in Aerith's flour-covered state. "Uhh..."

Aerith smiled, as if this was a natural occurrence, her answering the door coated in flour. "Cloud!" She said, tilting her head to one side. "Do you need something?"

He blushed, stuttering. "Uhh...Yes- err, no- that is...I- uh..." He seemed to struggle with himself for a moment, than shook his head, looking at the ground. Without another word, he began to walk away.

"Cloud, wait!" Aerith called, stepping out her door and grabbing his arm. He froze. "We, well, we have a slight problem." She smiled sheepishly. "In the mood for showing off your manliness?" He blinked.

Taking that as consent, Aerith dragged the befuddled Cloud into her house. He stared around her living room, eyeing the large purple stain on the wall with a raised eyebrow. Aerith laughed, just a little embarrassed. "Um, Food coloring war," she said, as if that explained everything. Cloud's eyebrows rose even higher, and Aerith burst into giggles at his expression. Yuffie had the feeling that Cloud was fighting a smile. She cleared her throat to bring them back to the real world.

Shaking her head a little, Aerith smiled again. Cloud spoke, voice quiet. "What do you need?" Pressing her lips together to keep from laughing again, she led him into the kitchen, and pointed at the resolutely stuck dough. He blinked again.

"The dough..?"

"Yep." Aerith snagged the spatula from the counter.

"It's...stuck?"

"Uh-huh." She ran the spatula under cold water in the sink.

"To...the...ceiling?" Cloud seemed unable to grasp the strangeness of the situation.

"No, how did you guess?" Yuffie drawled sarcastically. Cloud came out of his reverie to scowl at her.

Aerith handed him the spatula. "Your weapon, sir knight." She giggled. "Believe it or not, we tried ourselves with no success. I don't think it even _budged_." She sighed, shaking her head hopelessly.

Cloud stared at the spatula as though it had grown another head. Then, grunting low in his throat, he stood on the stool, slipping the spatula under the dough. He pushed. Nothing happened, the dough remained resolutely stuck. Frowning a little, he tried again, one hand pushing down on the ceiling, the other gripping the spatula for all it's worth. It scooted over, moving forward along the ceiling. However, after several more minutes of persistent pushing, the spatula broke clean in half, and the dough still sat upon the ceiling.

"Let it be a monument to chocolate chip cookies well made," Yuffie said, after a moment of silence, sweeping an imaginary hat off her head in honor.

Cloud ignored her, looking highly disgruntled. "I suppose I could get my Buster sword..." he mumbled, scratching the back of his neck. "But I don't think you want a hole in your ceiling..." He added, looking embarrassed.

"Not particularly, no." Aerith laughed. "Thank you anyway, Sir Cloud."

Cloud stared at the half of the spatula in his hand. "I just don't believe it..." He muttered, his eyes flicking from the broken spatula to the dough on the ceiling. Aerith patted his arm sympathetically. "It's all right. We won't tell anyone that you couldn't get it."

"Yep," Yuffie said. "We won't tell _anyone_ how buff, sword-toting Cloud strife couldn't scape dough off of a ceiling." She stuck out her tongue when Cloud glared icily at her.

Aerith quickly stepped in. "We _won't_ say anything. Will we, Yuffie?" She gave her a hard look. When Yuffie didn't answer, she pressed. "_Yuffie..."_

"Okay, okay! My lips are sealed. Jeez, stop with the eyes already..."

Cloud soon left, a blush from when Aerith had called goodbye to him visible for quite a distance. Aerith closed the door, turning around to eye Yuffie speculatively.

Yuffie inwardly cringed. _How to explain this...leviathan help me..._

"How do you write a love letter?" _Oooh crud. That did not come out the way I meant..._

Aerith blinked and gaped. Evidently she had not expected that, of all things. "What-"

"It's because of that blind guy!" _Shit, shit, shit. I just made it worse..._

Aerith sat down on the couch, looking more confused than ever. "Explain, please, Yuffie." She motioned for Yuffie to sit by her on the couch.

Yuffie didn't take the offer, and instead spilled the whole story, pacing up and down Aerith's living room floor, gesturing wildly and getting more and more hysterical as she went on.

"And NOW I have to write another letter, but I don't know anything about the guy or what this chick would say, and I can't just tell him the truth because the guy is _blind_ and this woman just had to be a complete bitch and dump him and-"

"Yuffie, Yuffie!" Aerith shook herself out of her shock and stood up, grabbing Yuffie by the shoulders. "Calm down," Aerith commanded. She steered Yuffie over to the couch, sitting her down upon it.

"Now," Aerith said. "Let's discuss this rationally, okay? Good." She stayed standing, and began pacing herself, though less feverishly than Yuffie had been. "You ought to tell the truth, Yuffie," Aerith said, stopping and sighing. "You'll regret it severely if you don't."

"I can't Aerith!"

"Why not? It would probably be better for everyone if you did..."

"_I can't do that!"_ Yuffie's voice rose to a hysterical pitch. "I don't know why! But don't ask me to do that! I can't!" She stood, panting, tears threatening to spill from her eyes. She blinked them back. "I know that this'll probably come back to bite me in the ass. But I can't go up to that blind guy and say 'Sorry, the chick you love wants nothing more to do with you, and I totally made up that letter!' I can't...!"

Aerith stared at her for a moment. She sighed, lowering her eyes. "Alright. I won't tell him either. And...I'll help you." She smiled a little. "I can't let you go down alone after all. If you go, I go too."

Yuffie struggled to find her voice. "Thanks," she muttered. After a moment of silence, she cleared her throat. "So tell me about them, then. You've been here longer than I have. What do you know about them?" Aerith came and sat beside her on the couch.

"Well...I don't know very much about them." She began. "I know that Vincent used to be a Turk, and lived in the center of the city. Lucretia was a scientist, and worked very closely with the president. One day, she came to town, carrying a bloodied Vincent. My Mother and I tried to tend to him, but even with our assistance, he woke blind." Aerith sighed, folding her fingers together in her lap, staring at the intertwined limbs.

"He couldn't remain on duty, so he bought that old Shinra mansion, and moved in. That was the last time I ever saw him in public, and I was about sixteen then. Lucretia remained with the Shinra Co., working when Vincent couldn't. She went into the center of the city in the evening, and came back for the mornings." Aerith paused, biting her lip. "The few times I saw her after that, she was always so...on edge. Frantic, even. She hid it well, but it always bubbled up under the surface. She was intelligent, and it can't have been easy to not be able to go forward as she would otherwise, but..." Aerith trailed off.

"What?" Yuffie pressed. Aerith just shook her head, and then continued.

"Anyway, the last time I saw her, was at my mother's funeral, nearly four years ago. Judging by the real letter she sent, she probably took one of the scientific opportunities she had, knowing that Vincent couldn't move forward with her, not for what she wanted to do." Aerith paused. "That's what she seemed to think, anyway."

There was silence for a moment, and then Aerith spoke again. "In answer to your first question Yuffie...I have no clue. I've never written a love letter, and I don't know what drew Lucretia and Vincent together in the first place. But..." Aerith stood up, walking over to her window, and looking out of it. "I think...all you would have to do, is find all the nice things about Vincent, and write how much 'you' miss those things. Any specific traits or qualities he has, write them down as though reminiscing. Try to be..." She trailed off, a few chuckles escaping her, shaking her head. "I was going to say 'be honest' but that advice doesn't really qualify here."

Yuffie grinned embarrassedly.

Aerith smiled a slightly strained smile. Her fingers lightly traced the windowpane as she spoke. "That's really all I can advise. If you were willing, it might be good to ask Tifa...she might know more about this kind of thing."

"Yeah..."

Yuffie realized that it was time to go. It was getting late, and she needed to work out the whole 'letter' thing soon. Before she leaves, she stops by the kitchen. Aerith doesn't protest as Yuffie snags some of the cookies, throwing them in a plastic bag. She stuffed one in her mouth, leaving a good six or so in the bag. Aerith smiles, and Yuffie wonders how Aerith can know that Yuffie won't likely eat the rest of the cookies.

She walks to the door and opens it, raising her hand in farewell. Just before she can leave, Aerith calls out for her to wait.

"Yuffie," She said. "There's something you have to understand. I don't really approve of what you're doing, but there is one reason why I am not going to protest." She locked eyes with Yuffie, her stare very serious.

"Yuffie, despite whatever they had, what he felt for her- the moment he became blind, Lucretia felt burdened by him. She never said it out right, but she did. She never believed that he could really take care of himself, or that he could get a new job. Truthfully, she didn't really believe in _him_. That's why I will help you with this, and why I won't stop you. Because that type of relationship isn't healthy, and despite what he may feel now, I truly believe that Vincent is better off without her. I don't think they ever would have been completely happy. And maybe...I don't know, maybe, you can help him, somehow."

Yuffie snorted. "Yeah, right."

And with that she left, calling out a goodbye behind her.

* * *

Okay. Um, as far as the dough thing goes...I was trying to be funny. It comes into play again in, like, the last chapter.

Hope everyone's in character!

Reviews:

cheesynoodle: Thanks! Yep, Yuffie's getting in too deep. Sorry for making you wait so long...

Cold Sanctuary: Thank you! I am continuing it...slowly but surely...

Whatever: yay for originality! Thank you.

Black-Valentine-1992: Yeah...Vince always seems to get the short end of the stick. Glad you liked!

WiltedRose-x: Yep, she is pulling herself in. Yuffentine's cool. And everyone has their own opinion. Thanks!

DJxscribbles: Huh...interesting. Glad to have made such a story for you. I checked out the song too..it's pretty good. Thanks!

les yeux sans visage: Thanks! Good to know :)

BJ Louis: Thank you. I agree, Yuffie is often underplayed. I guess I have no issue with this pairing because I have an aunt and uncle who are about that far apart (the aunt is in her twenties, the uncle in his fifties) and they have an absolutely adorable son. Thank you, you are a solid writer yourself.

Darkeiko: Oh! Thanks! As said up top, my typos are a bit notorious...glad you liked.

Senshin Ultima: Thank you! Yep, Vincent is blind...I'm gonna make it sometime nice to develop...I hope.

Okay, that's it! Thank you all very much.

Oh, and just so you know, if you want to read the manga in question (Love Letters Vol. 1, A Mail Man's Love) You'l find that not only are the genders reversed, but that the blind person plays a cello in the manga. And while I like the instrument, picturing Vincent playing the cello just made me giggle. Piano however...I think it totally fits him.

Oh, and I am NOT bashing Lucretia here. I think she made some major mistakes, but she isn't a bad person exactly. In fact, if you DO like C/A and Lutcretia, check out my story Castle of the Illusionist. Or if you like FullMetal Alchemist, check out my stories for that too.

Anyway, next chapter preview:

The Twisting Path: As Yuffie begins to form some kind of bond with Vincent, she seeks out her friend Tifa for more advice. But all the advice in the world couldn't stop what is brewing on this street...

Until next time!

AerithHeartilly


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